When Bryce Harper and Mike Trout were called up in late April, it seemed like both jumped on a fast track pointed straight at Cooperstown. And no one could say who would arrive first.

Fourteen weeks later, their roads have veered in vastly different directions. It’s like Trout has exited the New York Thruway and is barreling around Otsego Lake toward the Hall of Fame, determined not to slow until he reaches Main Street. Every time you see the kid’s name, it’s in a sentence with “record” or alongside a name such as DiMaggio.

Harper, meanwhile, has stalled somewhere around the Rookie Wall or the Adjustment Bureau. An 0-for-3 performance on Wednesday night dropped his batting average to .251 for the season and .177 (18-for-102) since the All-Star break.

Harper losing his way, of course, should be expected. In fact, it should be far less surprising than hearing him use a word such as mellowness. If you have seen him charge around first base, mellow is not a word you’d associate in any way with Harper. Every young player struggles, even Trout. He hit just .220 in a 40-game audition last season, and he was a teenager for only 14 of those games.

Harper won’t be done with his teens until Oct. 16, which will be after the end of his rookie season unless the Washington Nationals reach the NLCS. Though he has shown a maturity beyond his years, Harper’s youth still has landed him in a couple of silly situations, namely with Cole Hamels and Ozzie Guillen. Harper came to the majors known almost as much for his attitude as his ability, causing one to wonder if controversy will be a constant companion. Trout, meanwhile, has managed to steer far clear of anything that hints of trouble.

While absolutely no one is or should be concerned about Harper, him hitting a road block has started a race that a month ago no one figured would have been necessary. That would be for NL rookie of the year honors. While the NL lacks the depth of the AL rookie class, Harper has at least two worthy competitors.

Arizona Diamondbacks lefthander Wade Miley made the All-Star team and has been his team’s most consistent starter, with a 12-7 record and 2.85 ERA.

Milwaukee Brewers righthander Mike Fiers went from fringe to legitimate candidate Tuesday night when he took a perfect game into the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds. He settled for a 3-1 win that lowered his ERA to 1.82 in 80 innings since his debut on May 29.

The only NL position player who will play enough games to push Harper is Reds shortstop Zack Cozart, who has more homers (12-10) and runs (59-58) but is hitting only .247/.293/.401.

Harper’s struggles can be traced a 14-inning game against the New York Yankees in which he struck out five times and went 0-for-7. In 47 games since, he is hitting .209 (40-for-191) with three homers and 11 RBIs. In 42 games prior, he hit .302 with seven homers and 19 RBIs.

The biggest problem: Pitchers have been attacking Harper on the outer half of the strike zone, and he hasn’t adjusted. A scout who watched him during a 4-for-25 funk over the past week doesn’t believe the problem is due to any over-anxiousness that typically leads hitters to swing at pitches that aren’t in the zone. The scout says a big part of Harper’s problem is his swing.

“It’s a very complex swing with the high elbow and a lot of moving parts,” the scout says. “It’s going to have to be shortened somehow sometime, but you can understand why they are reluctant to try to change anything now.”

Harper’s struggles stand out because Trout has yet to go more than two consecutive games without a hit, and he has gone that long on only two occasions since his third game this season. In just more than three months, he has emerged not only as a shoo-in for AL Rookie of the Year but a legitimate MVP candidate (that is, if Miguel Cabrera ever cools).

Trout leads the AL in batting average (.345) and the majors in runs (87) and stolen bases (36) despite spending the season’s first three weeks in the minors. He set an AL rookie record by scoring in 15 consecutive games and accounted for 135 runs (80 runs, 55 RBIs) after 81 games—the most by a rookie since Joe DiMaggio in 1936.

Trout just turned 21, the same age DiMaggio was during his rookie season. Assuming Harper stays healthy, he will have played full three seasons and still be only 21. If indeed he has gone off course, he has plenty of time to get back on.